Farmers in Oxfordshire fear supplies of disinfectant needed to combat the spread of foot and mouth disease could soon run out.

Demand for the virus-killing chemicals has soared since the beginning of the outbreak last week.

One Oxfordshire livestock farmer, who asked not to be identified, said farmers were running out of disinfectant, leading to fears of contamination.

There are still no confirmed cases of foot and mouth in the county, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

Stocks of Antec Virkon S, Antec Farm Fluid S, and Sam 30 - the major brands of disinfectant approved by the Ministry - have plummeted and manufacturers are working round the clock to meet demand.

Risto Gronmark, from the county's leading farm disinfectant supplier H and C Pearce and Sons, in Thame, said farmers faced delays of up to three days before receiving orders of the chemicals.

He said: "The disinfectants are selling as fast as we can get them. They are getting through, though there is unprecedented demand. We are experiencing delays but that is not surprising due to the severity of the problem.

"When the foot and mouth scare first broke, we had £7,000 worth of disinfectant in the shop, which we shifted in our first two-and-a-half hours of trading. We normally only sell £2,000 worth of it a month."

He said the stocks were being distributed on a strict rota basis, with supplies being delivered to the top of farm drives.

Chris Gerring, who keeps a dairy herd at Field Barn Farm, in Ardington, near Wantage, said: "We are managing to keep a straw pad disinfected at the top of our drive, but I am worried for other farmers. We are all in the same boat and are just praying we don't get it.

"It is a very tense time for us all."

Mr Gronmark said the best way to help farmers fight cross-contamination was for the public to stay away from the countryside.

Farmers' markets in west Oxfordshire have been cancelled for the month of March because of the outbreak.

All visits to farm premises by South Oxfordshire District Council staff have been cancelled because of the disease outbreak.

And the Witney Stud Farm at Hailey, part of West Oxfordshire College's Equine Studies department, has called off an open day on Sunday, March 11 because of the disease.

Read aboutbutchers' fears